which Bianchi???

emilylovesbikes said:

Hi, I am getting a new bike and not sure which Bianchi I should get. The Pista or Pista Via Brera? I live in NYC and went into a shop in the East village that has a brand new black bianchi pista (not common). the decals are in red and look just like the new via brera and codotti. Can not find any pictures of it at all on line either. Nice big shop ....explanation was that since the condotti and via brera have been sold out for two months, Bianchi sent them this one as a filler and that it wasnt suppose to come out until this fall. Does this sound possible because i absolutely love it and it looks so sleek and rides like a dream. HELP!

I don't know for sure but it is quite possible, anyway when you quote ' i absolutely love it and it looks so sleek and rides like a dream'
I think you already know what to do.

Thank you... I'm obviously leaning towards the black bianchi, but I guess I'm just nervous to invest that much in a model I have never seen and don't want to be ripped off or naive about this purchase. Do you think they rushed to put this model out? How will I know it is as good as they chrome or blue pista? What should I look for? What other questions should I ask? What do you think about the Pista in comparison to the via brera? I'm planning on getting it today after work.

emilylovesbikes said:

I'm obviously leaning towards the black bianchi, but I guess I'm just nervous to invest that much in a model I have never seen and don't want to be ripped off or naive about this purchase. Do you think they rushed to put this model out? How will I know it is as good as they chrome or blue pista? What should I look for? What other questions should I ask? What do you think about the Pista in comparison to the via brera? I'm planning on getting it today after work.

IMO, here's what you need to know ...

Since you are presumably riding the bike on the street, you want to fit the bike like any other Road bike -- using the top tube (c-c) measurement (real OR virtual) is your best guide.

A "real" Pista frame usually has a 74º head tube angle ...

A typical Road frame made after ~1980 usually has a 73º head tube angle ...

If you are strictly riding in the city & the rides are relatively short, then 74º will work for you ... if you want to take multi-mile rides on the open road, then a 74º head tube could become tedious.

I'm under the impression that the current BIANCHI Pista frames all have the same geometry ... in the past, the difference between the two models which were sold to the public was that the more expensive frame was chrome plated and the "regular" version (which cost half as much) had a painted frame. Both had 74º head tube angles and I think the tubing was Reynolds 620 on both; so, the difference in the frames was cosmetic. I would anticipate the Black frame with Red lettering is the 2011 paint scheme for the "regular" Pista bike's frame.

There may-or-may-not be a significant difference in the cranks, hubs, headset from one frame to the other.

Since the VIA BRERA appears to be a Flat Bar bike, it's what you should probably get if you are a Messenger or if you want to ride in a little more upright position where short errands are going to be the norm.

Otherwise, you should probably opt for the configuration with the Drop Bars.

Thank you so much for all your help...I am going to go with the black one. Just making sure it actually existed : )

alfeng said:

IMO, here's what you need to know ...

Since you are presumably riding the bike on the street, you want to fit the bike like any other Road bike -- using the top tube (c-c) measurement (real OR virtual) is your best guide.

A "real" Pista frame usually has a 74º head tube angle ...

A typical Road frame made after ~1980 usually has a 73º head tube angle ...

If you are strictly riding in the city & the rides are relatively short, then 74º will work for you ... if you want to take multi-mile rides on the open road, then a 74º head tube could become tedious.

I'm under the impression that the current BIANCHI Pista frames all have the same geometry ... in the past, the difference between the two models which were sold to the public was that the more expensive frame was chrome plated and the "regular" version (which cost half as much) had a painted frame. Both had 74º head tube angles and I think the tubing was Reynolds 620 on both; so, the difference in the frames was cosmetic. I would anticipate the Black frame with Red lettering is the 2011 paint scheme for the "regular" Pista bike's frame.

There may-or-may-not be a significant difference in the cranks, hubs, headset from one frame to the other.

Since the VIA BRERA appears to be a Flat Bar bike, it's what you should probably get if you are a Messenger or if you want to ride in a little more upright position where short errands are going to be the norm.

Otherwise, you should probably opt for the configuration with the Drop Bars.

emilylovesbikes said:

I am going to go with the black one. Just making sure it actually existed : )

Oh, I cannot be certain that Black paint with Red lettering is the color scheme for 2011 ... that's just a presumption that I'm making since it seems that the paint scheme changes every year on the regular Bianchi Pista ...

Look at the frame's serial number AND the serial number on a couple of "regular" Bianchis which are in the showroom ... I would presume that the location would be the same ... and, the sequence should be a similar combination of numbers and/or letters on the various frames.
[INDENT]If the serial number sequencing is drastically different on the presumed-to-be-a-2011 model from a current Bianchi frame that is in the showroom, then I might worry; but, I would think that if the dealer is reputable that you shouldn't fret over it ... and, I guess we'll know in a month-or-so when the catalog for the 2011 Bianchi becomes available.

If it does turn out that the other 2011 Bianchi Pista models are clearly different from what you receive -- the frame construction [i.e., compare the quality of the welding], the decals, the components, etc. -- then I think the District Attorney for the City of New York would probably like to have a conversation with the dealer if the dealer-and-distributor don't have a good explanation for any possible differences.
[/INDENT]BTW. I'm NOT sure how much 'buyer protection' there is with using a credit card, but I would think you are better off paying with a credit card than with cash because if there is a real problem then the credit card company will probably want to make things right. Pay off the balance which is related to the bike as soon as you get the bill!